Service-box lid.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY MUELLER AND ANTON C. SCHUERMANN, 0F DECATUR, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORSTO H. MUELLER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATIONOli ILLINOIS.

SERVICE-BOX LID.

Patented May 25, 1909.

' Application filed November 19, 1907. Serial No. 4023M.

exact description, terminating with claims.

particularly specifying the novelty.

This invention relates to water distribution, and more especially tomains and pipes; and its object is to produce a lid for service boxesand an improved fastening device therefor.

To this end the invention consists in a structure of which oneembodiment is set forth in the following specification and illustratedin the drawings forming part thereof and in which- Figure 1 is a centralvertical section through the top of a service box and this improved lidabout to be secured in place. Fig. 2 is a section through the box and aside elevation of the lid clamped in position therein. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of the lid and its lock, viewed at right angles to theposition shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the spreader. Fig. isa side elevation of one of the blocks. Fig. 6 is a side elevation ofthis lid and the upper end of a service box having a cylindrical oruncorrugated wall, illustrating in dotted lines how the lid will fit theuneven upper extremity of such a box when it has been broken off.

- As is well known, a service box is a pipe running from the surface ofthe ground down to a gas or water main where the latter is provided witha cock, so that by removing the lid of the service box the cock isaccessible by'a key from above. These boxes are generally of rough ironcasting with their walls corrugated or otherwise roughened, and they areusually closed with a cast iron lid which experience has shown must beheld in place by brass screws to prevent rusting. These screws are oftenstolen for their metal, and in many instances the covers become brokenby wagons or freight and the screws are either lost or broken off. Iflost new ones must be supplied. and if broken ofi the pieces remainingmust be drilled out. In any event, while the lid is absent the boxbecomes filled with dirt, rendering it impossible to gain access to thecock until theentire box is cleaned out. In some instances the accidentwhich breaks the lid also breaks a piece from the upper end of the boxso that it becomes necessary to supply a new section of the box to bringits top level with the surface of the ground. In cases where the gradeis changed, if it is lowered it becomes necessary to shorten the servicebox already installed, or if it is raised it becomes necessary to add asection tosuch box to bring it to the new level.

Said shortening is usually done by breaking off the top of the box orsection already in the ground, as with a blow'by a hammer or chisel, andwhen broken off the upper end of the box or section becomes irregular.en a new section is added it is ,often fitted telescopically around orwithin the box already in place, and the two parts soon become one bythe adhesive effect of their corrosion. These various conditions havecreated a demand for a service box lid capable of being quickly put inplace on boxes or sections of most any pattern, and it is to meet thatdemand that the present invention is designed. The latter consists in alid having a wide unobstructed, annular groove in its under side so toadapt it to the upper ends of boxes or box sections which may varysomewhat in diameter or which may not be strictly round, and the widthand depth of the groove enables the device to be used as a repair lid ason boxes whose upper ends are irregular, as shown in Fig; 6. Theinvention also consists in a fastening device depending from the lidproper and adapted to be operated from above so that its blocks or jawswill engage the interior of the box or section to which the device isapplied, whatever the shape of said interior or of the upper extremity.

Referring nowto the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates theservice box whose wall is uneven or corrugated as shown at 1 and 1 is ashoulder extension at its upper end or mouth. 2 is the lid properconsisting of a plate, preferably hav ing a depending peripheral flange11, and

with its center depressed as best seen in Fig. 1 and spaced considerablyfrom the flange so as to leave a wide unobstructed annular groove 11 toadapt the lid to a smaller box than that shown in the drawings. In thetop of the plate is a cavity 3 to receive the head of a screw 4 which isswiveled through the plate and screws into a hole 18 in a spreader 6,its lower extremity bearing a washer 5 and being headed or upset as at 5to prevent the washer from com ing 0E.

Depending from the depressed portion of the plate are guides, here shownas cons sting of two similar lugs 14 cast integral with the plate andeach having an opening l5 through it on a line radial to the .entirelid. Two blocks 7 are provided which are duplicates of each other, andeach block is shaped so as to fit loosely in one of the openings l5 sothat it can slide outward or inward and cant slightly therein. The outeredge ofthe block is preferably straight, its inner edge is formed with aprojection having an inclined face 15 preferably curved slightly as seenin Fig. 5 and located about midway of the height of the block, and itsupper and lower ends are provided with ears 9 and 10 of which the upperrises from the projection and the lower is offset as at 16 so that theouter faces of both ears will stand on a line with the straight portionof the inner edge of the block. The openings 15 through the lugs areenlarged slightly at top and bottom at their inner ends so as to produceshoulders 8 and 8* against which the ears strike as shown in dottedlines in Fig. 2. Cooperating with these blocks is the spreader 6 whoseside faces are inclined as at 17 preferably by means of straight bevelswhich abut at only one point against the curved faces 15 of theprojection of each block, and

thereby reduce to a minimum the chance that these parts shall rusttogether. The screw may be of brass and the spreader of iron, or thereverse, because two different metals work in conjunctionwith each otherbetter than two like metals. But by reference we make all parts of castiron except mg the spreader which need not require as much brass as thescrew, as we find that if the screw rustsoin place where it is swiveledthrough the plate it can be disconnected by a sudden movement of thewrench.

Experience has shown the best result with a brass spreader havingstraight inclined sides 17 and iron blocks having curved inner faces 15abutting against them, as the blocks are permitted to tilt slightly inplace and come into close contact with the irregular wall of the servicebox.

Fig. 6 illustrates how a box or box section 1 with cylindrical wallswould engage the groove 11*, and if it were broken off by a blow of ahammer how its irregular upper end 1 would enter said groove and behidden by the flange 11. This viewelaborates the adaptability of theinvention as a repair lid for the purpose of repairing service boxesthat have become broken.

In assembling the parts of this device the blocks are first put in placeone ,at a time by being inserted laterally into the space between thetwo lugs and then moved outward radially into position within theopenings 15?.- the spreader "is then inserted between the lugs frombeneath and the screw inserted through the hole in the plate andthreaded through that in the spreader, and finally the washer is appliedand the lower end of the screw headed beneath-it as by being upsetslightly. If it should be desired to separate the parts, the upsetportion is filed off and the washer removed, after which the screw canbe withdrawn from the spreader and lifted out of the plate, and when thespreader is removed the blocks can be taken out of place one at a.

screw is turned to cause the'spreader to rise, and in doing so itsinclined faces 17 engage the inclined faces 15 of the blocks and bearthe latter radially outward until their outer faces contact with theinside of the service box or box section as shown in Fig. 2. During thismovement the bodies of the blocks are guided through the openings 15*,and-with a service box of the usual size the blocks will contact withits wall at a time when the spreader has reached a point about midway ofthe height of the blocks. The lateral impulse of the spreader istherefore so applied that if one or both of'the blocks should strike acorrugation 1 or other unevenness within the box they could cantslightly as their looseness in the openings 15 will permit. The screw isfinally given an additional turn to tighten it in place so that itcannot be unscrewed by hand or through vibration. When it is desired togain access to the interior of the service box it is only necessary toapply a proper wrench to the head of the screw and unscrew itsufficiently to loosen the parts, after which the lid can be lifted off.

In handling and transporting this improved lid the parts cannot becomedislodged accidentally. The factthat there are heads at'both ends of thescrew holds the spreader in position, and while in position the blockscannot be approximated or taken out of the inner ends of the openings15; and on the other hand when they are moved outward their ears contactwith the shoulders within the openings so that they can able blocksmounted slidably in the guides,

' ears on the blocks engaging the guides for preventing theirdislodgment therefrom, a

spreader between the blocks, and means for operating it from a pointabove the plate.

2. A service and lugs depending therefrom and having radial openings;combined able in said openings, a spreader, between them having straightinclined side faces, projections onthe inner edges of the blocks havinginclined curved faces, and means for operating the spreader from a pointabove the plate.

3. Aservice box lid consisting of a plate, and lugs depending therefromand having radial openings; combined with blocks movable in saidopenings, means for preventing their dislodgment through the outer endsof the openings, a spreader between them having straight inclined sidefaces, projections on the inner edges of the blocks having inclinedcurved faces, and means for operating the spreader from a point abovethe plate. 4. A service box lid consisting of a plate, and lugsdepending therefrom and having radial openings; combined with blocksmov:

able in said openings, ears on the blocks to prevent their dislodgmentthrough the outer ends of the openings, a spreader between them havinginclined side faces, projections on the inner edges of the blocks havinginclined faces, and means for operatable in said openings, ears ingthespreader from a pointabove the plate. 5. A'service box lid consistingof a plate, and lugs depending therefrom and having radial openings;combined'with blocks movto prevent their dislodgment through the o uterends of the openings, a spreader between them having straight inclinedside rfaces, projections on the inner edges oft-he blocks havinginclined curved faces, and means-for operating the spreader from a pointabove .the plate.

6. A service box lid consisting of a plate, lugs depending therefrom andhaving radial openings, and top and .bottom shoulders within them;combined with blocks movable insaid openings, each having a projectionon its inner edge, an ear rising from body of the block,

said projection above the another ear offset from said inner edge'anddepending below the body of the block whereby the latter slides in theopening and the ears are adapted to engage the shoulders box lidconsisting of a plate,

with blocks movon the blocks therein, and means for moving the blocksradially outward.

t. A service bozg lid consisting of a plate,

lugs depending therefrom and having radial openings, and top and bottomshoulders within them; combined in said openings, each having aninclined projection on its inner edge, an ear rising from saidprojectionabove the body of the block, another ear offset from said inner edge anddepending below the body of the block whereby the latter slides in theopenings and the ears are adapted to engage the shoulders therein, aspreader whose body is located between the inner edges of said blocksabove their offsets and whose sides converge upwardly, and means formoving 'the spreader from a point above the plate.

consisting of a plate,-

8. YA service box lid lugs depending therefrom and having radialopenings, and top and bottom shoulders within them; "combined withblocks movable in said openings, each having an inclined projection onits inner edge, an ear rising from said projection above the body of theblock, another ear offset from said inner edge and depending; below thebody of the block whereby the latter slides in the opening and the earsare adapted to engage the shoulders therein, a spreader whose body islocated between the inner edges of said blocks above their ofisets andwhose sides converge upwardly, and a screw swiveled through the plateand threaded through the spreader.

9. A service box lid consisting of a plate,-

with blocks movable lugs depending therefrom-and having radial openings,and shoulders within them; combined with blocks movable in said openingsandhaving ears offset so that the outer faces of theears stand flushwith the inner edges of the blocks, inclined projections on said inneredges, a spreader between the blocks engaging said projections, andmeans for moving it.

10. A service box lid consisting of a plate, lugs depending therefromand having radial openings, and top and bottom shoulders within them;combined with blocks movable in said openings and having ears projectingabove and below their bodies and offset so that the outer faces of theears stand flush with the inner edges of the blocks, inclinedprojections on said inner edgesibetween said ears, a spreader betweenthe blocks engaging said projections, and means for moving it.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our signatures, this2nd dayof November A. D. 1907.

HENRY MUELLER. ANTON C. SCHUERMANN. Witnesses:

. VIRGINIA HAMILTON, JOHN IIIWADDELL.

